The geology poem

Ode to Olivine in Thin Section, a poem by Brenna Lorenz



In basalt a lurid green

Bespeaks the savage olivine;

Mantle's child, born of fire,

Restless in the open air,

Little beads of anger bear

The torture of desire.



Silica upon its face

It suffers, helpless, in disgrace,

Its powers of reaction bound

By solid's bond and cage,

In agony confined to rage

Unstable and unsound.



Its birefringent power plays

The sifted light to rare displays;

The haunting, primal colors tell

Of fire and fury's flag unfurled,

Flag of fluid, nether world,

Beneath the fragile shell.